3rd Circuit, Video [UNSEELIE LOCKED]

[zerotohiro]

[Loki and Hiro have taken a small room in Diasbaile, mostly barren save for the wooden cabinets that seem to blend into the background. Loki would have done this himself, but there was insistence on Hiro's part of aiding in the delivery of the very, very bad news. The focus is on the two of them, and Loki speaks first.]

Hello.

This is a message of the emergency broadcast system. As you can see, our sirens are down for the moment, but I assure you that the news is none less dire.

[Loki's voice drops to something uncharacteristically serious.]

Ah, yes. So—listen up, Unseelie.

[Hiro's sitting almost a little too close to Loki, face more ashen than anyone in their court has ever seen. It's a reality they have to face and while he'd been hoping Loki would find some more information in his research, they're running out of time.]

Some of you had a vision at the beginning of August. A dream about fire and machines with shards for eyes. I didn't have the vision myself, Loki did…but we can both confirm these are real. These things are being created now and they are coming. Monsters that run on shards and blood. But there are some things you guys don't know yet.

[When Hiro stops, Loki barely glances down before he picks up without missing a beat, as if he's giving him a moment to collect himself. Loki looks perturbed at the recollection of the golems, but not nearly as pale as Hiro.]

Our dear friends the dwarves have crafted mechanical monsters, forged from melted metal and living shards. These mecha-beasts are brought to live with blood magic and runes. Not your basic run-of-the-mill runes, not even my fancy-smancy "stay out of my room" runes, but hundreds of them in intricate designs—sorcery that's very possibly lost to antiquity—all working together to bring them to life.

And if that isn't nightmare material, these large, metal machinations have keen senses when it comes to shardbearers, even those that find means of hiding themselves, if you get my drift.

There are hundreds, even thousands of them, with no exaggeration.

[The longer they stay on camera, the more Hiro finds himself shrinking into his sweater. Loki delivering the brunt of the bad news helps, but dredging up the memories is more than mildly horrifying. There's one key factor though that they've neglected to mention.]

We don't know when they're coming, but judging by the amount of time between the last vision and its turnaround to coming true, it's soon. Really, really soon. We don't know when they're coming and we don't know the full extent of what they can do or why they're being unleashed.

[A pause.] Ideas. We need ideas on how we can combat these things and how to keep everybody safe. Start using your brains and focus on what's really important here.

[The important thing, he thinks, is that this war? It's much, much bigger now than just Seelie vs. Unseelie. It's now about just staying alive.]

I would suggest highly against approaching them… [Loki glances at Hiro.] …As I’m certain we’ll offend them somehow.

[Considering the fact that there are other things…he can agree with that.] …right. Defense ideas then. Lay 'em out. [A beat. And then:] Privately, if you would. Doesn't matter if they're coming for all of us…this is still a war.

[And he sure does know that there are certain devices generated by a certain witch that can see this broadcast. He had agreed that the Seelie should know what's coming. Doesn't mean they should be privy to everything else, too.]

Not exactly how I pictured life in a giant robot series, hm?

[Though that’s meant more for Hiro. They have some questions to answer, and Hiro needs a little bit of a perk up.]

[Hiro at least gives a small grin in response, but says nothing else. Definitely Q&A time.]

[ooc: As a note! Most threads will be answered by Hiro, but he may call on Loki for assistance. Additionally, Hiro is aware Hermione's compasses can see posts on both networks so those with compasses are capable of seeing this post. They just won't be able to see the threads in this post. Have fun guys o/]

Comments

[zerotohiro]

[He keeps quiet once his part is done, eyes locked on her arm as he watches the runes being written across her skin. He recognizes the patterns and the runes and he's already putting together how they work together. Part of him should be bored from the time it takes for her to apply the runes but instead he's more fascinated memorizing each line. He can at least recognize the need for a quiet workspace.

When she's done he leans close, almost close enough to press his nose against her skin to get a better look.]

Everything looks right to me...maybe tighten up this line here. [He points to one on the upper part of her forearm where it's a harder angle to draw.] Otherwise it looks solid. Once it dries we'll know.

[erythristic]

[Grell nods, dipping the feather back in the paint to go over the line he mentioned and then holding out her arm to let it dry.]

The test is going to be twofold - the first half is just starting it up to ensure that the new connections feed into the framework properly, and then there's the integrity testing.

[zerotohiro]

[He nods in understanding, sitting back further to let the paint dry.]

Did I ever tell you how Lord El-Melloi explained magic to me when it came to runes? It was kinda interesting...my gloves usually just centered whatever magic I was creating but I'm trying this new thing where it'll spread through the whole palm. I might have some ideas to help if it doesn't feed in properly so we can get it back on track. I don't have acid, but I have a lighter and I can cause enough outside force against the armor to see how it holds up.

[erythristic]

The way I got around the centring problem was branching off runes to sort of channel the energy around in a wider area. Opening up pathways, basically.

[she blows on her arm, rotating her wrist to make sure nothing's running.]

Ready?

[zerotohiro]

I've been figuring how to add more magic to channel it off into different branches. I guess it's sort of the same thing...I'm still practicing a lot though. Kinda have to if I'm Clarke's second.

[At that though he bounces back, rifling through his bag for his usual dagger and grabbing both gauntlets.] I'm ready when you are. Out in the yard?

[erythristic]

No. Here's fine.

[she stands up and walks to in front of the table, pushing up her glasses with the unpainted hand.]

Right then...let's try you on.

[closing her eyes, Grell extends her painted hand in front of her, breathing in. as she exhales, the paint illuminates, beginning at the sequence on her wrist and the rest of the sentences swiftly following suit. cracking one eye open, to see it stable in the loop, she can't help but grin.]

Hiro, try to hurt me. Fire, force, candlewax - just do it.

[she can't get excited, not yet, but she's close. she's close and she won't celebrate her victory if this can't hold up as actual protection. for the moment, she's going to try and keep calm.]

[zerotohiro]

Whoa. [That's the first response the moment the paint lights up, immediately pleased that it seems to work and there's a matching grin as he stares at the lines carefully. Nodding to himself he steps back, hearing Grell's command and pausing.

It's not so much he's not willing to do it; it's debating how to do it.]

Force first, I think. That's going to be the biggest challenge. [With that, he shifts the dagger in his hand after setting down his gauntlets, twirling the blade in his fingers before lunging forward for a strike and hoping Grell will block immediately.]

[erythristic]

[it's a reflex to block, and she keeps an eye on the runes and their silver light as the dagger hits the armour - there's a shimmer in the air when it connects, stopping about an inch from her skin as if she was wearing a real gauntlet of metal.

silently, she gestures for him to do it repeatedly, her monitoring how strongly it's reacting. (if he does, it is unchanged in how it acts, stopping the blade again and again with`a dull sound.)

the grin on her face is just growing as they go on.]

[zerotohiro]

[Well. He's going to keep trying. The first strike causes him to bounce back a little, obviously perplexed by the reaction. He looks up at her uncertainly before he raises the blade again, delivering quick, precise strikes that she continues to block.

It's working. Holy shit, it's working, and he tires out far sooner than the armor gives out. He drops his arm, shaking it out as he stares at Grell in absolute wonder.]

Wow. That...definitely passes the durability test.

[erythristic]

[for a moment, Grell stares at the armour, how she can feel how it's working. not even a significant reduction and strain with the loop intact. and knowing what she does about its durability when running off her own energy...

Grell laughs, genuinely laughs in delight and sweeps Hiro into a one-armed hug, her grin threatening to split her face.]

It works! It actually works, we did it! It's sustaining! Oh goodness, it works!

[zerotohiro]

[Oh god what is happening. There's a small sound that might possibly be a squeak as he's swept into the hug and he grins, partially awkward but mostly elated with the discovery. It works. He knows Grell's been working with it for a while and knowing that he helped a little in closing that final loop is amazing. He finds that he also laughs as he wiggles out of her hold shortly after, hand moving to run over where the armor is just to see if it repels his hand or anything.]

It actually worked. Grell, do you realize what you just created? Do you realize what this means? You could expand on the formula and everything to make the armor even stronger.

[erythristic]

[it doesn't repel his hand, but there is certainly something solid there, some force that keeps his hand at that distance.]

Quite frankly? Aside from bringing what I thought was only a farfetched dream and idle project to actual reality that could be invaluable to those around us, I don't know. But that's because I think everything in my mind is simply waltzing in delight!

[zerotohiro]

[This is so...cute. He loves this. He loves when people have breakthroughs and he finds her excitement contagious, sort of the way Honey Lemon's was. He finds nothing wrong with it and instead he laughs again.]

I think my congratulations are due here. You can actually call yourself a true inventor now. It's pretty impressive. [He gestures to the armor again.] We should keep testing it but I think this already speaks volumes.

[erythristic]

Yes, yes, of course, we still need to try fire and something caustic, but it...[she's still laughing through her words.] If I brought this out to our side, there's no telling how useful it could be. If it's properly written out, then there's not exactly a limit on who could use it...oh Hiro, thank you! Without you I couldn't have done this!